Stuffed Butternut With Quinoa & Kale: A tale of my love/ hate relationship with butternut squash.
Jump to RecipeButternut squash is THE most annoying vegetable I know.
It is super delicious, makes an amazing addition to stews, soups, even desserts. It’s sweet, but not too sweet, great in curries and stir-fries, makes a heavenly mash and it likes being stuffed with things.
HOWEVER…
The package it comes in is a creation of pure evil. Who knew mother nature could be so mean?
To start with – the skin. Hard and next to impossible to remove. The seeds… I mean, really? So sticky and gross, and they go absolutely everywhere!
Thank goodness my husband is a little more patient than I am. I will happily cook butternut in a variety of different ways, but it’s my husband’s job to prep it for me. Teamwork for the win!
This stuffed butternut recipe produces the most delicious and attractive looking butternut stuffed full of quinoa, kale, cheese and onions. It is also packed with all sorts of wonderful goodness in the form of antioxidants, vitamins and protein.
Oh, and did I mention cheese? ?
Also, click here to read all about how this gorgeous recipe helped me to find my Happy Place!
Stuffed Butternut With Quinoa & Kale
Course: DinnerCuisine: Vegetarian, Gluten-FreeDifficulty: Medium4
servings45
minutes1
hour1
hour45
minutesIngredients
- For The Butternut
1 Large, Handsome Butternut Squash
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Coconut Sugar
1 tsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
- For The Stuffing
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 Cup Quinoa
1 Medium Onion
1 Medium Bell Pepper
2 Garlic Cloves
Pinch Black Pepper
½ tsp Cumin
2 Cups Kale
2 tbsp Coconut Aminos
- Dressing/Cheesing
Red Wine Vinegar
½ Cup Grated Mature Cheddar
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200˚C and line an oven-proof dish with baking paper
- Ask someone patient to prep the butternut for you. Or do it yourself if you’re more patient than me. Halve the squash length-wise and scoop out the seeds. Brush the butternut with olive oil and sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar and salt/pepper
- Place in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, depending on the size, flipping it halfway through, until it has browned and the skin has softened
- While the butternut is baking, boil your quinoa in water for about 20 minutes until soft. Once cooked, drain properly and add to a large oiled pan. Lightly fry until golden and remove from the pan
- If required, add a little more oil to the pan and put in finely chopped onion, bell pepper, garlic, black pepper and cumin. Sauté for another 5 minutes, until clear and slightly browned. Add finely chopped kale and sauté together until kale has wilted
- Return the quinoa to the pan, add coconut aminos and stir everything together for 1-2 minutes
- In the meantime, prep your dressing by reducing the red wine vinegar on medium heat for about 15 minutes until it halves in volume. You are looking for a light simmer throughout – don’t let it boil too much!
- Once the butternut is ready, remove it from the oven, stuff with the quinoa/kale mix and top with grated cheese. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes on grill until the cheese melts and browns (yum)
- Remove from the oven and cut into 4 portions. Drizzle with the reduced vinegar dressing and admire your creation for at least 1 minute before serving
Notes
- Add ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper along with the black pepper & cumin for a slight bite if you’re into that kind of thing
